Jane the dinosaur may not be a juvenile T. Rex, but a new species

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Jane, the dinosaur fossil housed at Rockford’s Burpee Museum of Natural History, may not be a Tyrannosaurus rex as previously believed.

A new discovery suggests Jane, which was previously thought to be a juvenile T. rex, may actually be a newly discovered species, Nanotyrannus lethaeus.

“We’ve always known Jane was special,” said Anne Weerda, Executive Director of the Burpee Museum. “Now the world knows just how unique she may be. Whether Jane represents the best-preserved juvenile T. rex or the only known specimen of a brand-new species, she is truly one of a kind — and she calls Rockford home.”

Jane was discovered in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation and brought to Rockford 23 years ago. Scientists have debated whether Jane represented a juvenile T. rex or a separate species.

Now, the discovery of a complete tyrannosaur specimen, also found in Montana, presents strong evidence that the fossil, along with Jane and three others thought to be teenage T. rex’s, may be part of another distinct group.

According to researchers Dr. Lindsay Zanno, of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and Dr. James Napoli, of the Stony Brook University, Nanotyrannus lethaeus was a fast, agile predator distinct from T. rex, with longer legs, stronger arms, and a body built for speed.

T. rex was a 40-foot-tall creature, while Nanotyrannus stood about 18 feet, according to a newly published study in Nature.

According to Burpee Museum, “Tyrannosaur researchers who had long disagreed with the validity of Nanotyrannus have rallied around Zanno and Napoli in support of their conclusion, accepting that their previous thoughts were incorrect based off of this new specimen in North Carolina.”

“Jane is an extraordinary specimen—not just scientifically, but as a point of pride for Rockford,” said Dr. Joshua Mathews, Head of Paleontology at the Burpee Museum of Natural History. “She was discovered, excavated, and prepared by the people of this community, and she continues to shape our understanding of the Cretaceous world. It’s incredible that a fossil found and prepared through Burpee’s research program has remained at the center of one of paleontology’s most exciting debates for over 25 years. With this new discovery, Jane’s importance will continue for decades to come as scientists work to piece together the complex story of the last great age of dinosaurs.”

Small-bodied tyrannosaurs were first discovered in the mid-1940s and were initially classified as more slender T. rex juveniles.

“The overarching mic drop of this paper is that Nanotyrannus is real, its own distinct tyrannosaur species, and that necessitates a fundamental reassessment of tyrannosaur classification and evolution,” Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh not involved in the new study, said in an email. “It’s wonderful when new evidence shows that some of our cherished notions, my cherished notions as a tyrannosaur researcher, are likely to be wrong. That’s science.”